Mental illness and the body: Beyond Diagnosis - Softcover

Phillips, Louise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415383218 ISBN 13: 9780415383219

Publisher: Routledge, 2006

Synopsis

Throughout history observation of the body has helped psychiatrists to determine the cause and treatment of mental illness. Today, practitioners routinely conduct detailed observations of a patient's appearance, posture, gesture and gait, thereby using the body as a diagnostic index. "Mental Illness and the Body" explores the concept of 'lived experience', whereby bodily presentation extends beyond a manifestation of mental illness. Louise Phillips suggests ways in which understanding 'lived experience' may usefully be applied to mental health practice. Key features include: an outline of history British psychiatry including treatments; the review of psychiatric texts identified by psychiatrists as essential to their training and practice; interviews with a variety of psychiatrists and nurses; analysis of feminism and the way its insights have been applied to understanding mental health and illness; and observations of, and interviews with, eight patients diagnosed with mental illness. "Mental Illness and the Body" is essential reading for mental health practitioners, allied professionals and anyone with an interest in the body and mental illness.; Insights from these disciplines are applied in an accessible manner to enable practitioners to develop a fuller understanding of the clinical significance of the body in mental health practice.

About this title

Synopsis

Observation of the body helps psychiatrists to determine the cause and treatment of mental illness. To form a diagnosis, practitioners conduct detailed observations of patients' appearance, posture, gesture and gait, thereby using the body as a diagnostic index. However, within routine mental health practice, there is little consideration of how the bodily presentation of patients may reflect aspects of their 'lived experience'. With reference to a range of theoretical perspectives including philosophy, psychoanalysis, feminism and sociology, "Mental Illness and the Body" explores the ways in which understanding 'lived experience' may usefully be applied to mental health practice. Key features include: an overview of the history of British psychiatry including treatments; an analysis of feminism and the way its insights have been applied to understanding women's mental health and illness; in-depth interviews with four patients diagnosed with mental illness; and, an outline of Freudian and post-Freudian perspectives on the body and their relevance to current mental health practice.

"Mental Illness and the Body" is essential reading for mental health practitioners, allied professionals and anyone with an interest in the body and mental illness.

About the Author

Louise Phillips is a lecturer in Mental Health at City University and a mental health nurse. She has practiced for the past 18 years in a variety of settings including elderly care, the voluntary sector and the NHS. Immediately before starting her academic career, she worked for a number of years as a Community Psychiatric Nurse in the King’s Cross area of London. In addition to her nursing qualification she has a BA in European Cultural History and completed her PhD on approaches to the body and mental illness at the university of Kent at Canterbury in March 2003.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0415383218
• ISBN 13: 9780415383219
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208